Growing up in Virginia, I’ve seen a lot of Confederate flags over the years. Interestingly, the past decade has seen a real decline in Confederate flags overall – it’s actually pretty rare that I see that flag on a bumper sticker or on display in any public or private space. It’s really nice, actually, that displaying the Loser Flag has become uncool. What’s crazy is when people outside of the American South decide to display or fly that stupid flag. Back in the day, I saw TONS of Confederate flags in Pennsylvania, and white supremacists across the country still use it to signify their stupidity, bigotry and racism. Well, funny story. Organizers of the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials had the Confederate flag on display in Norfolk, England. But… but… they’re very much not a racist family??
A royal horse event has apologised for flying a “slavery” flag at the King’s estate. The Confederate Flag was seen during the three-day Sandringham Horse Driving Trials.
It was used by Southern States in the American Civil War and is linked to the Confederacy’s fight to preserve slavery and white supremacy.
The flag was flown in a field during Saturday evening’s sunset supper, attended by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who also competed in the trials.
Organisers of the Challenge event said they are “truly sorry”.
They wrote on Facebook: “We would like to sincerely apologise for the recent display of images featuring the Confederate flag. We now understand the significance of this symbol and the hurt and offence it represents to many people. We never intended to upset or cause harm, and our actions were in no way malicious or racially motivated. However, we recognise that intent does not lessen the impact, and we take full responsibility for this mistake.We are truly sorry and are committed to ensuring this does not happen again.”
Prince Philip started the trials in 1982 to bring a favourite sport to one of his favourite places.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Duchess Sophie “competed in the trials,” but I bet her daughter Lady Louise competed. Louise is into carriage driving, and I’m sure Sophie was there to watch and support her daughter. I’m not blaming Sophie or Louise, I doubt they were the ones responsible for it. But it’s just bizarre! Why would anyone there think it was okay to display that particular and unique flag? Where did they even acquire that flag in England? Who decided to display it at a Sandringham horse event??
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- King Charles III during the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, as part of the King’s visit to Scotland for Holyrood Week. Picture date: Wednesday July 1, 2026.,Image: 1113760097, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- (Left to right) The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Duke of Edinburgh during the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, as part of the King’s visit to Scotland for Holyrood Week. Picture date: Wednesday July 1, 2026.,Image: 1113760157, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no , Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM The Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor take ‘part in the Pol Roger Meet of the British Driving Society’ carriage driving parade on day four of Royal Windsor Horse Show, at Windsor Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, UK, on the 17th May 2026. Pictured: Lady Louise Windsor BACKGRID USA 17 MAY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM The Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor take ‘part in the Pol Roger Meet of the British Driving Society’ carriage driving parade on day four of Royal Windsor Horse Show, at Windsor Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, UK, on the 17th May 2026. Pictured: Lady Louise Windsor BACKGRID USA 17 MAY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM The Duchess of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor take ‘part in the Pol Roger Meet of the British Driving Society’ carriage driving parade on day four of Royal Windsor Horse Show, at Windsor Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, UK, on the 17th May 2026. Pictured: Lady Louise Windsor BACKGRID USA 17 MAY 2026 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Members of The Royal Family, led by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, attend the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate on Christmas Day. Featuring: Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor Where: Sandringham, United Kingdom When: 25 Dec 2024 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
I am actually shocked at this. For many people seeing that is similar to seeing the Nazi flag. Why would it have even been an option to display it?!?!!!
I grew up in a part of TN that didn’t side with succession during the civil war and was proudly taught that in history class, but in the next breath the teachers would teach blatant lies/misinformation (most slaves were better off under slavery than freedom, most slaves were treated well/not abused while ensalved, states rights disagreements cause of the civil war/not slavery, etc). Southerners have gotten a steady diet of historical misinformation since well before Faux News exisited. Magat memorabilia has replaced the confederate flag, but the weird fixation/denial of the realities of that era remains. (Mangos creepy N@zi inspired eagle features 11 stars-number of states that succeeded instead of 13 stars to represent the 13 colonies). The country never owned up to the horrors of slavery or did anything to atone for the damage done. We ended up stuck in this historical hell because racists lost their @#$% over a black moderate president and ran to a conman who encourages them to be as racist as they want to be. I would really recommend everyone follow Heather Cox Richardson and read her books.
Sherman didn’t burn the Confederacy hard enough.
Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters are like life rafts of intelligence and perspective in these stupid scary times. More people need to know about her, so keep spreading the word!
Cosign. HCR & Belle of the Ranch daily YT explainers are part of my daily political feed.
Also check out Amandas-Mid-Takes:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ap8_YWBZjaU
Lisandra Vazquez has political content but also some great humorous shorts for my comic relief needs in these dire times.
I’m sure whoever chose to use the confederate flag did it on purpose and it was endorsed by those in charge at the Sandringham estate.. they seem to like to show their racism in ways they think they can deny thinking they are fooling people.
Hmmmm. And the possible visit of Meghan & Harry and their two children is coincidental? Kind of like Princess Michael of Kent accidentally wearing a ‘Blackamoor brooch” to a luncheon introducing Meghan?
That is fully bizarre. Other than the “undercover” yahtzees, all I can think is someone thought it looked like some regimental flag. But ppl who are into regimental flags would know.
So now I’m firmly in the “white suprematist thought they were clever” camp. Kind of like the guy and his wife in the administration who just had a baby, that they gave the initials HH to and 14 letter name. It’s not clever, it’s damming.
I’m right there with you. I can’t imagine that random confederate flags are just hanging out in the UK and that whoever was responsible for putting them up was like “hmm…here’s a flag that’s not from the UK, let’s put it up!” Someone there is shady racist.
Bizarre. I’m struggling to even conjure what they thought that flag represents that is one of the values of the horse trials. Incomprehensible and incompetent. Sign of our times.
Why do you think?
Wtf? So they displayed it and had no idea what it was or its meaning? Sure, Jan.
someone had to have known. disgusting.
I know, right? That phrase stating, “We NOW understand the significance of this symbol”, NOW? in 2026! Sure, you “didn’t understand it” before, yet you were still determined to fly it. I think they knew what it meant and made a decision to fly it and told themselves that if or when people complained after the fact, that it was better to do it and apologize than not do it and regret it. It was a choice.
That’s the part that stuck out to me too. How do you just NOW understand the significance? in 2026.
I’m no conspiracy theorist (who am I kidding, I love a good conspiracy theory) but this is the second or third time just this week I have seen a Confederate flag in a weird context (the second was on a T-shirt worn by the Korean-Canadian KPop star Mark Lee…and I can’t remember the third, sorry)
All three times, everyone has apologized, claimed ignorance, and claimed for be more educated about it, but IDK, why are they turning up at an obscure sporting event and on a pop star on the other side of the world in the first place? Are there just racist people all over the world in these circles who are now stepping forward? Are alt-right groups in those countries adopting it as a symbol? Is there some campaign convincing non-Americans that the confederate flag is reto and cool and they should totally display it?
Confederate flags are popular in South Korea. (It’s a winking reference to their own “war of northern aggression”)
Hmm, I’m not sure why’d you think that. Perhaps you’ve had different experiences, but I’ve lived in Seoul, traveled around Korea, and have family in SK and have never seen a Confederate flag in Korea, nor ever heard of the North/South divide in any way likened to the “war of northern aggression”…that phrasing (implying all the BS lies told about “northern aggressors” to mask that the white South was seceding bc they didn’t want to give up their slaves) doesn’t even make sense, in terms of the history of the Korean conflict.
Apparently US military stationed in Korea used to display the flag until US Forces Korea banned it in 2020, but American soldiers being racist (ugh) while stationed in SK is different from it being popular in South Korea more broadly.
They “now realize?” You didn’t know what that meant before? You just thought it looked pretty or something? WTF!
And I live in Western New York. If you drive about an hour south of Buffalo, you see the racist flag all over the place.
Life-long downstate New Yorker here. I’ve always wondered how parts of upstate got so racist. Do you have any insight? The first time I went to Geneseo, to visit a boyfriend at SUNY in 1998, was the first and only time another white person said something racist about Black people in front of me. I was in shock, and the expression on my face told him. He was a local. I guess he thought I was ‘safe’ because I was also white. Having grown up in a socially progressive, multicultural town on Long Island, all I could think was, WTF. Sadly, people like that guy think it’s ok to let their racism fly in Tr*mp’s America.
Ooh book recommendation! Check out Lessons from Lockport which is the recently published seminal text on the political dynamics of Western New York: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lessons-from-lockport-jim-shultz/1146766980
Outside of the larger cities in New York, the state is really red. Thankfully there are enough voters in the cities to keep the state technically blue. If the state ever actually turned red, I would absolutely be moving. I have a daughter to protect.
@Mightymolly, thank you!
@Sue, I hear you. I spend a lot of time on eastern Long Island, and see a lot of Tr*mp flags out there. Although fewer now that he’s tanking the economy, and people out there are losing their health care thanks to his funding cuts. Vermont is my back up plan. I also have a daughter.
@Hillary – I too wondered the same. I am blown away by how conservative Buffalo/Rochester and surrounding areas are. It was like a WTF moment when the realization hit. And @MM, Thank you for the book recommendation.
Lifelong western NY resident and it is appalling how often you see that flag here, pretty much always in a rural area.
But while I was writing that it dawned on me that I don’t see it so much any more. It is more likely to be on a large pick up truck. I also don’t see as many Trump flags. Hmmm….progress?
No, sadly it’s not progress. These people just go underground again and save their flags for a more propitious time or for indoors. Trust me.
@Janet – Yeah I noticed Trump flags in the suburbs coming down as he continued to do more and more heinous things. I like to think that they’ve changed but it probably is just that they finally were embarrassed enough. I will say however that my mom defended Trump during his first term and now she is repulsed by him and hates what is being done (to other people not just herself).
I used to live outside of Saratoga Springs. Went to a chiropractor in a small town right on the banks of the Hudson. Pretty colonial house across the street, back yard up against the river. Giant confederate flag outside of it. It boggled my mind.
What in the world?
My guess is that some deep south old money debutante was competing in this stupid ass aristocratic horsey “sport” and wanted the flag to represent them. Because I got nothing else.
I think that’s by far the theory that makes the most sense.
I live in rural Virginia and my town is relatively blue, but if you drive five minutes out of town that stupid flag is everywhere. And they are clear at this point that it doesn’t mean heritage. The thing that always grabs my attention is at least 95% of the time it’s on homes that are rundown or derelict or trailers for people who are probably not in the best financial place. That’s how the Nazis ultimately came to power. Because inflation was insanely high after World War I in Germany, and everyone was struggling financially. They blamed it on everyone else instead of their own actions and people were more willing to kill more people all over again and to do the same thing that had gotten them into financial trouble the first time than to find another way to get their economy back on its feet again. Rural poverty is a thing. And racism often goes along with it. People wiser than me could give you the explanation for that.
It’s a story as old as humanity but definitely as USA as apple pie – poor people being manipulated by the ruling clsss with promises of being higher status than another population. It’s the low hanging fruit. The under classes could work together to rise the tide, lift tall boats, but that wouldn’t serve the elite. So they play divide and conquer.
WTF! I don’t mean to be US focused, but I can’t believe they didn’t know the meaning of the flag.
My apologies for the flag rant so you may want to just skip the rest of this. I realize they aren’t flying the flag for “southern heritage” but as a southern that flag brings up some big feels. I’m not sure if everyone knows the rectangular stars and bars is the naval battle flag of the confederacy. It’s much more well know associations are with the KKK, anti-segregationionist, racists, etc. So when someone is flying the stars and bars the more recent associations are likely what they are calling to. (The national flag of the confederacy looked too much like the US flag and was confusing on the battle field so the stars and bars flag was adopted. The confederate army version is square. If you want to know what the national flag looked like take a gander at the Georgia state flag as they are a near match. It was a choice for Georgia to replace a flag with the stars and bars with a flag that closely resembles the national flag of the confederacy and I”m still mad about it.)
During World Cup we’ve been delightfully regaled with all the things other nations didn’t know about the US. But the Civil War ain’t Buccees. It’s depicted in film and novel to extreme.
If they know who Scarlet O’Hara is then they know what that flag represents.
This was no accident. The white supremacists are making themselves known all over the world, not just in the US. Look what just happened in Belfast. Look at how the Black football players on Euro teams in the World Cup are being racially abused after their teams get knocked out. Decent-minded folks better tighten up for what’s to come.
In such a high profile venue I seriously doubt in 2026 due diligence was not done to understand what was displayed. They are either stupid or it’s intentional. Or as my Italian grandmother used to say: They are stupidly cunning.
I saw them in VA while on college visits. Not as many as a decade ago, but they are flying them high and proud. Some businesses too. Which is good, I know where to spend my money and which family owned businesses to support.
Lastly, I recall from my history class that the Brits always favored the South (during pre-civil war era) because they had the same cultural background compared to the industrial north (think genteel and aristocracy). which speaks volumes.
The British Empire bought the vast majority of southern cotton. So in addition to a similar patrician way of life among the elites, they had very strong economic reasons for keeping them onside.
Yes they did. As it also behooved England to supply money to the Confederates during the war to break the Union in hopes of crippling their power and the soon to be power they would become.
WTF! This event is going on since 1982. So why are they digging out this flag this year?
This people should be educated well enough to know their flags or do their research.
What does “was flown” and “displayed” mean, exactly? Does this mean that there was a display of flags, arranged by the organizers, and the flag was one of many? That a competitor was waving it around? Something else? Does “images” mean that multiple confederate flags were actually on display? The passive voice used to describe this seems deliberately unclear, to the point where I’m wondering what this obfuscation is trying to cover up.
Other articles that I skimmed mentioned that Andrew made an appearance at the event. That was an interesting juxtaposition — which makes me wonder if the “display” is something that either was associated with Andrew, or if someone wants this incident to be associated with Andrew. I’m with @Sid and others in that I think that using this flag is a way for white supremacists way beyond the US to make their presence known — on the level of Elon Musk calling attention to himself with his haircuts and public Nazi salutes. They want people to realize just how embedded they are in cultures — and power structures— everywhere: from Trump’s plan to turn the 250 celebrations in the US into a MAGA rally to the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials, where the organizers can claim to be shocked, even as they are being deliberately vague about the details of what actually took place.
I’m wondering too, at the timing of this incident: just as it’s being widely publicized that Harry, Meghan, and their kids have plans to spend time in the UK, and possibly stay on a royal property. Maybe this incident was intended as a very pointed welcome. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m suspicious and nervous about the timing. Sigh.
Great observations all the way around. I too wondered about the timing with Harry and family visiting soon.
i thought about that too.
Oh, come on … they just now came to understand “the significance of this symbol and the hurt and offence it represents to many people”???
The Confederates lost in 1865. That was 161 years ago. That “apology” was pathetic.
So those in the UK know nothing about that flag?
one has to be an idiot to put something out there and not know the meeting. seems the organizers need to pay more attention.
So we actually had this happen to an event I was helping with. Someone bought a bunch of flags off of Amazon and was hanging them up. My son realized that one of the flags was an old nazi flag ( you would not have known by looking at it, you had to know a lot about flags and world war 2). Lesson of the story, if you bulk buy flags of countries around the world, double check them!
I think it’s a message to Meghan, via a “terrible mistake.” Does the Ku Klux Klan also have a flag that the royals can mistakenly hang?
Ambers, IMO, you are far too generous to the royal family. I absolutely believe this happened to you; however, I cannot and will not extend that courtesy to the royal family: we know them too well.
Also, just pointing out that by having a photo of Lady Louise at the top of the story, it is visually linking her to the Confederate flag, which is very unfair to her. I know THIS is clearly a mistake, but I’d rather see William’s or Charles’ face, two people of scatty (or no) integrity, not the pretty, young Louise. Not a criticism, just an observation.
When Harry wore that NS uniform as a gag to a fancy dress party, he got raked over the coals for it and had to apologise. And WanK’s involvement was discreetly covered up, as we know, from Spare. Yet… these people exhibit a flag that represents aggravated and sadistic violations of basic human dignity and it’s considered a whoopsie? ….really. What a bunch of plonkers. British people tend to do things in a jokey way that are not remotely funny. It’s just the key in which they play. AA Gill (the late humourist philosopher / anthropologist) said, “the joke is the excuse for the brick.”
I grew up in Houston, Texas during the 70s and the only people that ever showed that flag were acknowledged idiots that you stood away from. This is ridiculous. It’s a flag of sedition, traitors and racists.
Why would a confederate flag be at a horse show in the UK? It’s very strange. Plus why do British people always pretend to not know when items or incidents are racist?
KC2 and Amy B, total agreement.
Well, they said what they said, but I’m not buying it. IMO, they knew exactly what that flag meant. I think the people in the UK need to be paying attention. They got a taste of what’s happening in the US when the tories did everthing they could to hurt the “regular” people including gutting so much of the NHS. Let’s hope they don’t put another Tory in as PM.